Convicted "pure" progressives, Far Lefts, etc.

[Gerard]

After I was in school in the cafeteria discussing a Women's Studies group proposal project with my peers, I head out to the library and met an older man perhaps in his 50's on the grounds advocating workers rights, with selling this "Workers Vanguard" newspaper for 50 cents which I bought. I talked with him about Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, and therefore this guy like other Far Left individuals (from socialists to 9/11 conspiracy believing nuts) I've talked to before, are really convicted that this whole system is fascist. Like with this guy, he's not even going to vote for lesser than evil Obama, which I told him that I am, and that I hate the system too, and that I don't like corporate sponsored Obama who still supports US oil interests in Iraq, supports the School of Americas, etc., and also understanding his suffering of "worker's rights." The thing is with him, he was convicted on not voting for anyone. I guess he also had problems with Nader and McKinley, which I didn't really go on talking with him. Anyway, I just listened and understand him as much as I can, as I do to seniors in crisis phone line. I shared my personal suffering with mental health, and shared the idea it would be ideal if a progressive political agenda for mental heatlh was in this "already somewhat understanding" city I live in. And saying to him, I can understand your suffering because I have similar "oppressed" suffering. And so our last exchanged was when I patted him on the shoulder, which he gestured back to my extended arm, still convicted that this system is so corrupt, not voting for a lesser than evil, or even the problematic problems of not voting for a Green, and just not voting at all. I understand and respect he has that choice, he has that option, he has that understanding, he has that suffering, and that he's that convicted. After this healthy exchange, I was just wondering the conviction of these other Far Left individuals. I have all of their concerns and knowing a political system is not favorable to their concerns, it seems they are left confused, hopeless, not voting as with this guy, thinking will rights they want for themselves and for others will be accomplished before their life time, or after or will it ever? I wonder the same thing over and over, but since I more readily understand the system, and that it's best to do vote for the lesser of evil, I still wonder when a shift of awareness, a perhaps radical shift in the gravity of America primarily be strongly aligned with the Green Movement (human rights and ecological concerns). Concerns with the Russian/Georgia and Palin neocon election ploy, and just every pervasive global issue there is right now, and the dismissal from corporate media makes me think really when such concerns be addressed completely and compassionately, for all these progressives, Far Lefts or what you might call them, seemed so convicted, just like that man I've met advocating rights based on his suffering.

[Lyric Suite]

Man what is it about this web site that draws every closet Marxist wannabe out of the wood work? Is Social Anxiety an inherently leftist disease?

Also, lol @ the guy who talks about "suffering" while comfortably sipping on a cup of coffee in the most over-privileged, over-fed and over-indulged nation on the planet. Nothing spells out the pain of living in an oppressive fascist society like talking about the merits of Leninism within the plastered walls of a far liberal sanctorum paid for and build by a conservative working class, who's children are being sent to to be indoctrinated and re-engineered within the paradigm of the established politically correct world view.

[orpheus]

Originally Posted by Lyric Suite

Man what is it about this web site that draws every closet Marxist wannabe out of the wood work? Is Social Anxiety an inherently leftist disease?

Wait. Your presumption is based on Gerard? I'd rank him as the most liberal member on this site (even further left than Kelly).

[Lyric Suite]

Originally Posted by orpheus

Wait. Your presumption is based on Gerard? I'd rank him as the most liberal member on this site (even further left than Kelly).

You don't think SAS is massively skewed towards the left?

[ardrum]

Originally Posted by Lyric Suite

You don't think SAS is massively skewed towards the left?

Yeah, but that's a more tame observation than the more dramatic phrase "closet Marxist wannabes" though.

[orpheus]

Originally Posted by ardrum

Yeah, but that's a more tame observation than the more dramatic phrase "closet Marxist wannabes" though.

We're all Marxists.

This is how words become meaningless, people.

[Micronian]

Originally Posted by Lyric Suite

Man what is it about this web site that draws every closet Marxist wannabe out of the wood work? Is Social Anxiety an inherently leftist disease?

Also, lol @ the guy who talks about "suffering" while comfortably sipping on a cup of coffee in the most over-privileged, over-fed and over-indulged nation on the planet. Nothing spells out the pain of living in an oppressive fascist society like talking about the merits of Leninism within the plastered walls of a far liberal sanctorum paid for and build by a conservative working class, who's children are being sent to to be indoctrinated and re-engineered within the paradigm of the established politically correct world view.

Totally wrong! The fact that left-wing oriented person enjoys his coffee has nothing to do with his political point of view--and it's only a point of view. It's nobody's fault to live where they live; whether they get water from the convenience store or from a rusty bucket after a rainfall. That is just the nature of economics and historical processes.

Personally, I think it's better to talk about (and do your best about) changing the world before such disasters and poverty actually happens (when the paradigm of the established politically correct world view stops being compatible with the reality of our every day lives). Those people that REALLY suffer never, ever, had a voice--they likely still don't. Better then, to have people living in countries of free speech help give them a voice.

[Mr. Frostman]

Originally Posted by Micronian

Those people that REALLY suffer never, ever, had a voice--they likely still don't. Better then, to have people living in countries of free speech help give them a voice.

These people suffer so we should promote the form of government that's responsible for the suffering in many of them? Marxism and radical leftism are exactly conducive to freedom of speech.

[Micronian]

Originally Posted by Mr. Frostman

These people suffer so we should promote the form of government that's responsible for the suffering in many of them? Marxism and radical leftism are exactly conducive to freedom of speech.

Marxism is a philosophy, particularly an economic philosophy. Marxism itself is not responsible for the repression we've witnessed in left-winged countries such as China and the Soviet Union. That has more to do with the local history and culture that has evolved there combined with personal interpretation of the philosophy. It's no different than capitalism, really.

We really need to get over this idea that Marx and Marxism is a product of evil. It doesn't help anyone. Both socialism and capitalism were born from roughly the same place and time. They are contemporaries. They both use similar social conditions and history as the base to their philosophy, and they each have their strong points and weak points. One isn't better than the other, and it's likely that the next economic philosophy is going to come out from both of these, so we might as well look at the positive side of both.

[Lyric Suite]

Originally Posted by ardrum

Yeah, but that's a more tame observation than the more dramatic phrase "closet Marxist wannabes" though.

Yes, it's called hyperbole for a reason.

[Lyric Suite]

Originally Posted by Mr. Frostman

Marxism and radical leftism are exactly conducive to freedom of speech.

History says your are wrong. Utterly and totally wrong. Radical leftism only leads to two things: revolution, and big brother dictatorships.

[ardrum]

Originally Posted by Lyric Suite

Yes, it's called hyperbole for a reason.

Is your dogmatic adherence to dualistic, grand, explain-it-all theories regarding society hyperbolic expression as well? It's entertaining at least.

[Lyric Suite]

Originally Posted by ardrum

Is your dogmatic adherence to dualistic, grand, explain-it-all theories regarding society hyperbolic expression as well?

You can always wait for science to find a "rational" explanation for it. I'm sure they'll come around it in an hundred years or so.

[orpheus]

Originally Posted by Lyric Suite

Yes, it's called hyperbole for a reason.

In many cases, it's a short-cut to thinking.